


Come Morning Light

by Calico_21



Category: Free!
Genre: Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fear, Hurt/Comfort, Late at Night, M/M, Nightmares, Not Really Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-06-02 17:23:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6575278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calico_21/pseuds/Calico_21
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You were so far away..." Sousuke's voice was barely a whisper echoing in the room. "I kept calling for you. I kept asking you to stay but I couldn't reach you. I could never reach you. And then you were gone. And I knew you weren't coming back. "</p>
            </blockquote>





	Come Morning Light

The wind was strong, that was the first thing Sousuke registered, as he stood at the top of a green mossy hill, overlooking the ocean. The sea was an intense blue that took his breath away. Below him, calm waves kissed the rocks lovingly, forming froths of white.The weather was nice too—the sun casted it's warm rays upon his skin and the cries of seagulls formed a perfect harmony with the sound of the wind whipping past his ears. He could almost taste the salt of the ocean on his lips. 

"Sousuke!" He heard a voice behind him. He knew that voice all too well, and when he turned around, he saw Kisumi coming up the hill toward him. Kisumi looked like he belonged in this perfect picture of a scenery. The sun-rays were hitting his profile in all the right places, emphasizing on all the planes and angles of his figure. The wind had pushed his pink hair back and he was waving at Sousuke, smiling that smile that Sousuke had fallen so deeply in love with. 

"Kisumi." He reached out for him, to close the distance between them. At last Kisumi was there, and he was close enough that Sousuke could see his own reflection in those pink eyes, and count the flowers bent and trodden under Kisumi's boots.

"Kisumi," he found himself asking, "what are you doing here?" 

The pink-haired man stared at him for a second and cocked his head to the side in question. He gave a soft fond laugh. "Don't you remember Sousuke?" 

Sousuke was beyond confused; Kisumi's words rang no bell in his mind. "I don't- I don't understand." 

Kisumi tore his pink eyes away from Sousuke, his gaze drifting to something behind them. Sousuke turned around, trying to see what he was looking at. A thousand questions fluttered behind his lips, but the intensity in Kisumi's expression fell upon him and he said nothing. 

"I came here," Kisumi said, "because I have to go." 

"Go?" Sousuke took one step closer, his heart was starting to pound. The wind was getting stronger all around them now, whipping violently, and the shadows of dark clouds hovered over them, as they blocked out the sun. The air grew colder around them, the temperature dropping significantly all of sudden. The once picture-perfect scenery was now gone and replaced by something that screamed of danger and foreboding. Kisumi on the other hand, looked eerily unperturbed about the changes around him. "Go where?" 

Kisumi stared at him for a moment; his eyes held no emotion whatsoever and his lips were pulled into a small smile. Sousuke shivered again—he has never seen Kisumi wear this kind of smile before and he didn't like it. Kisumi's smiles were always big and broad and his grins would literally take up half of his face, stretching his cheeks as he shows off his pearly whites. Sousuke used to complain about that, acting annoyed, but in truth he secretly loved it.

He felt his heart leap again and there was something urgent in the way he moved as he reached forward to grab Kisumi's arm. "Kisumi... Where are you going?" 

But Kisumi wasn't looking at him anymore. His gaze was fixed ahead to the ocean, which had now turned into a murky black, the waves violently crashing and slamming against the rocks, trying to break them. He seemed unaware of Sousuke's grip around his arm."I have to go." He said again, and the tranquility in his tone, contrasted with the ominous atmosphere all around them, made the hairs on the back of Sousuke's neck stand up. 

And as he watched, Kisumi stepped forward, his feet dangling dangerously close now to the edge of the precipice. Sousuke's eyes widened. "Kisumi no! What are you doing?" 

"Goodbye Sousuke." Kisumi turned around to give him one final glance, one final smile, before his body fell limp and toppled ahead. Sousuke lunged forward, and managed to grab him by the elbow before he could fall. Rain was pelting down on them like millions of silver bullets discharged from the sky and Sousuke wasn't even sure anymore if the water on his face was from the clouds or the tears in his eyes. 

"Kisumi," he cried and there was a note of desperation in the way he said it, as he grappled uselessly at the flimsy sleeve of Kisumi's shirt. 

But the pink-haired man merely smiled, his eyes closed as though he was waiting for the hour of death. As though he had finally found a place of peace and was just one step away from it. "Sousuke, I have to go..." 

"Don't!" Sousuke yelled in panic in the midst of all the chaos. "Don't go! You don't have to go anywhere. Kisumi, listen to me, please!" 

"Goodbye, Sousuke." Kisumi said once again, and his other hand reached up and pushed Sousuke's grip away. And then he was falling, right in front of Sousuke's eyes, towards the rocks below—to his very own death. And Sousuke was screaming— he could feel the pain in his throat, in his chest—but he just couldn't hear himself against the roar of the wind and the cry of the storm. 

He didn't get to see Kisumi's body hit the rocks. That moment never arrived. Before it could happen, everything went dark.

✳︎✳︎✳︎

 

Kisumi wasn't sure how long he had been asleep but he woke up somewhere in the middle of the night with a pressure pressing against his lower abdomen. He turned to look at his bedside clock—the digits were showing 2:30 AM in the dark room. He got up and shuffled lazily towards the bathroom to relive himself. The room was chilly, and his feet turned cold when he touched the floor. 

When he returned, he was all but ready to dive right back into the comfort of the covers and continue sleeping. He was careful not to wake his sleeping boyfriend up when he climbed up the bed, pulling the comforter up to his chin. He could feel the familiar weight returning, pulling his eyelids close. As he was drifting off once more, he was torn from the warmth of slumber by a certain pressure on his arm and the sound of a whimper. It was soft, deep, and barely even there but Kisumi has heard it, calling out to him in the midst of the fogginess that threatened to take him away. He opened his eyes groggily and turned to the right side of the bed. 

It was dark in the room. But there was enough moonlight from the slight peep of the curtains for Kisumi to see. And what he saw, broke his heart.

Sousuke. His Sousuke, was curled up in the sheets. His face was set in a deep frown, his eyebrows furrowed painfully. He had a strong hold on Kisumi's elbow as his body jerked roughly. Another low whimper escaped his throat. 

"No..." Sousuke murmured.

"Sousuke?" Kisumi called out softly. He tried to pull away, but the grip on his arm tightened, fingernails digging in harshly until the pressure became unbearable. Kisumi winced but the ache in his chest in that moment, was much greater than the pain on his arm. He came to a realization that Sousuke was still asleep, caught up in a nightmare. 

"Don't!" The sharp cry of distress sliced through the peaceful silence and made Kisumi jump, his heart thudding hard against his ribcage. "Don't go..." 

Sousuke tensed up, and then his grip slackened, freeing Kisumi's arm. Kisumi reached over, trying to do something—anything— to stop this. His fingers were trembling as they gripped at Sousuke's shoulders, brushing against his damp cotton shirt, shaking him lightly. He felt so powerless in that moment. He was unable to stop this hurt, this pain; unable to reach his boyfriend who was trapped somewhere in the deep recesses of his own mind. 

"Please...." Sousuke's voice rasped in his throat, like someone had run a dull knife across it. And as Kisumi stared, tears started to gather at the corners of Sousuke's closed eyes, a few stray ones escaping and cascading down the sides of his face. 

It was somewhat disturbing, seeing somebody cry in their sleep. More than disturbing, Kisumi was scared. He has never seen Sousuke like this before. He was so used to Sousuke's tough and stoic exterior, even when they were together, that seeing his boyfriend in this manner, shook him to the core. Sousuke was the embodiment of vulnerability in that moment, all fragile and delicate. He was so often the one that shielded all the pain away— the one who did all the protecting, that Kisumi forgot that he was breakable too. Who will protect the protectors?

His body moved at its own accord. Kisumi scooted over and wrapped his arms around Sousuke, whose body was still as tensed as a wounded coil. He brought Sousuke into his embrace, tucking Sousuke's face into the crook of his neck, while his fingers brushed the raven's hair soothingly. He started to hum, a familiar tune in his mind. 

It was the song they had first danced to together. It was a Friday night, somewhere in the middle of May, in a small cafe near their street. He remembered the smell of coffee in the air and the tinkle of music and couples dancing in the open air on the patio. Kisumi had pulled on Sousuke's arm when a new song came on. It was soft and sweet— a perfect song to slow dance to. Sousuke had protested—"I can't dance." He had said— but Kisumi wouldn't take no for an answer. And then they were outside on the patio, with the other couples. Even until now, if Kisumi close his eyes and focus hard enough he could still remember the feeling of warm air around him and the fragrance of flowers. Sousuke had one arm around Kisumi's waist and the pink-haired man had one around Sousuke's shoulder, head on his broad chest. They were swaying and Kisumi remembered thinking to himself that Sousuke wasn't such a bad dancer as he claimed to be. And then the world around them disappeared. And it was only the two of them in the whole room and the music. And everything was just right for a moment. 

It became their song. It became the song they'd play when they're in the car on rainy days. It became the song Kisumi listens to when Sousuke's out of town for days and he misses him. It became the song that calms Sousuke down when he's upset. 

Just like now. 

With every passing second, he could feel Sousuke relax under his touch, until both their breathing were matched and slow. 

A shuffle caught his attention. Looking down, he realized that Sousuke was awake. The raven-haired looks disoriented for a second, and alert, as though he was still caught up in the tendrils of his nightmares. When he took in his surroundings and realized that it was merely a dream, he physically let out a shaky breath and the remaining tension in his body melted away.

"There now," Kisumi kept his voice light and gentle; he did not ask about Sousuke's dream. Part of him wasn't sure if he wanted to know."You're okay." 

Sousuke stayed silent, and Kisumi almost thought he went back to sleep until he spoke up in the dark. 

"I dreamt that I lost you." And even though the tears had long dried up, and Sousuke was now awake, Kisumi could still hear traces of the crippling aftershock— of the fear and the pain in Sousuke's voice. It made his heart clench painfully and he unconsciously tightened his grip around the man. 

"You were so far away..." Sousuke's voice was barely a whisper echoing in the room. "I kept calling for you. I kept asking you to stay but I couldn't reach you. I could never reach you. And then you were gone. And I knew you weren't coming back. " 

"You won't ever lose me." Kisumi murmured. "You'd have to put a restraining order against me to stay away from you, and even then there are no promises." 

A rumble resonated in his chest as Sousuke chuckled softly. He sounded tired. Like he'd just been through Hell and back. He closed his eyes, only to open them again a few seconds later, uncertainty flickering in those teal orbs. Kisumi noticed, of course, and he leaned down to place a small kiss on Sousuke's temple. It was his silent promise. 

"Go back to sleep." Kisumi said softly. "I'll be here, okay?" 

Sousuke mumbled something incoherent but it sounded like an agreement as he moved closer to Kisumi—covering up the space between them with his body. "I love you." He said quietly, his breath brushing against Kisumi's collarbone and Kisumi felt his own breath catch in his throat. "I don't say it quite enough and I'm sorry for that. I love you."

"It's okay," Kisumi whispers. He felt a certain need to whisper, as though the whole calm-after the-storm ambience between them would shatter and break if he were to talk too loud. "I know you do. I've never doubted that."

He continued humming their song in the dark, even after he felt Sousuke's breathing evened out. He felt shaken and he figured he needed the reassurance too. Whatever it was, they would deal with it when the morning comes.

"I'll never leave you." Kisumi said, just before he drifted off to sleep, his arms tightening around Sousuke's waist, his legs entwined with the other under the sheets. 

"I love you too much to do that."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, please leave comments and kudos! :3


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